Landcare Link
Quarterly Newsletter of the Queensland Murray-Darling Committee
January 2009
Contact Us
Welcome to 2009!
Renee Fletcher
(Toowoomba)
Ph. 4637 6224
E: reneef@qmdc.org.au
We would like to welcome everyone to a new and exciting year in sustainability
education. We are now half way through the United Nations’ Decade of Education
for Sustainable Development. In the past five years there has been some great
advances in Queensland in support of school sustainability actions and the next
five years promises to be very exciting for our region with the further development
of the Darling Downs and South West Queensland QESSI Hub. We have a range
of activities and programs lined up for 2009 including a wide ranging series of
teacher professional development workshops. Pippa and I are very keen to
support schools to achieve school sustainability actions and welcome your
inquiries.
Renee & Pippa, Landcare Education Officers, QMDC
Pip Bagshaw
(Goondiwindi)
Ph: 4671 7900
E: pipb@qmdc.org.au
www.qmdc.org.au
Inglewood Bush Tucker Gardens
“Vision without action
is a dream.
Action without vision
is simply passing
the time.
Action with vision is
making a positive
difference.”
Joel Barker
The students of Inglewood State School and St Maria
Goretti’s School and Inglewood Landcare coordinator,
Veronica Aster were busy during 2008 designing and
building bush tucker gardens in the Inglewood school
grounds. On December 2, 2008 the official opening of the
gardens was held. More than 120 students from both
schools were present for the opening and later participated
in traditional games and enjoyed a barbecue lunch.
Various businesses and individuals in and around
Inglewood donated materials and time to assist in the
construction of the gardens which include native ‘bush
tucker’ plants, such as Wild Lime (Citrus glauca), Old Man
Saltbush (Atriplex nummularia) and Native Leek (Bulbine
bulbosa).
Western Boobialla
A booklet about the gardens has also been produced,
Australian bush tucker and other cultural uses, which contains information about
the Inglewood bush tucker gardens, the processes involved in their construction,
Aboriginal history and plant profiles. Contact Inglewood Landcare if you are
interested in viewing a copy.
Kangaroo Apple
Inglewood State School students playing traditional
games
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January 2009
Professional Development Workshops Planned for Teachers
An exciting range of professional development workshops are planned for 2009.
The workshops will be delivered in conjunction with the Southern Queensland
Science Centre for Innovation and Professional Practice. Topics to be covered:
• Sustainability science for primary teachers
• Sustainability science for secondary teachers
• Soil - water interactions
• Digital mapping
• Water quality testing and river health
• Energy
• Propagation
The workshops will predominantly occur as afternoon sessions. The dates and
times will be confirmed in Term One.
We need a minimum of 10 participants to run a professional development
session. The sessions can be open to all staff and interested parents and
community members. So if you have an enthusiastic group and a topic you would
like covered please give us a call to see if we can deliver a workshop in your
school.
Water quality testing kit
On Borrowed Time—A
resource for secondary
students exploring key
biodiversity issues. The
resource features
interactive case-studies
and is linked to the
learning areas of Science,
Mathematics and English.
The resource is available
in the QMDC library or visit
www.publish.csiro.au/
onborrowedtime/sections/
index.html
Power-Mate energy meter—
can tell you the energy
consumption of individual
electrical appliances
Need Resources or Information?
The Landcare Discovery Centre in Toowoomba has
a resource library open to schools and the
community. The library contains books, brochures,
resource packs, posters, models (worm farm and
compost) and a range of kits including: macroinvertebrate survey kit, biodiversity sampling kit,
paper making kit, bird watching kit (includes 10
binoculars) and more. The resources are free to
borrow and if you can’t make it into Toowoomba we
can arrange alternative pick-up points or post
resources (excluding larger kits and models) to you.
If you are thinking of looking at weeds, we have just
received some copies of, Misbehaving Plants
Worm farm model
which is a big book designed for the lower grades.
The resource has a number of different sections including a narrative story, a
cartoon story, information on weeds and biological controls and teaching
suggestions.
Other Resources
Home Energywise Kits—The Department of Mines and Energy
has given kits to local council libraries to help the community
monitor and reduce their energy use. The kits contain a PowerMate energy meter (as featured on the left) and various booklets
and worksheets. Most council libraries in the region should have
kits for loan. Contact your local library for loan details.
Primary Connections Support Kits—The Southern
Queensland Science Centre of Innovation and Professional Practice (SCIPP) has
developed resource kits to support Primary schools to implement Primary
Connection Science units. Kits currently available:
Early Stage 1: What’s it made of?
Stage 1: Sounds Sensational, Push-Pull
Stage 2: Spinning in Space, Plants In Action
Stage 3: It’s Electrifying, Marvellous Micro-organisms, Package it Better
Four kits of each topic are available. A $15 replenishment levy per kit is charged
to cover kit maintenance. Contact Kay Lembo for further details 0407 028 182.
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January 2009
Plant Smart Schools
Laura Sutton, Greening Australia
Schools Striving to
Achieve Sustainability
A number of schools
have already signed up
to become part of the
statewide Sustainable
Schools Initiative for
2009. Ballandean State
School has kicked off the
year with a planning
session to incorporate
sustainability concepts
into the curriculum.
Schools involved in the
initiative will be
undertaking audits of
their schools to establish
the baseline conditions
for energy use, water
consumption, biodiversity
value and waste
production.
Groups of environment
leaders from each
QESSI school will have
the opportunity to attend
a workshop facilitated by
OzGreen in early March
(www.ozgreen.org.au).
The workshop will
provide the school
leaders with the chance
to develop their
leadership skills and look
at the process for putting
ideas for sustainability
into action.
The QMDC Property
Planning program will
be running again in 2009.
The program will be
offered over Term Two
with the field trip
scheduled for May on a
property near Allora. To
register interest please
call Renee (4637 6224)
or Pippa (4671 7900).
Plant Smart is inviting your school to
become Plant Smart. Plant Smart is a
vegetation management partnership
between Ergon Energy and Greening
Australia Queensland. The program
objective is to educate councils,
businesses, communities, nursery
industries and schools on planting the
correct vegetation under and around
powerlines. The Plant Smart schools
program has been developed to provide
education on vegetation management
and powerline safety.
School planting at Bunkers Hill State
School, August 2008
Plant Smart coordinators visit schools within Ergon Energy territory not only to
provide education on powerline safety, but also to assist schools in becoming
sustainable by reducing their energy consumption and improving biodiversity
within the school grounds. Our message is delivered through a range of
engaging activities catering for all ages, including biodiversity audits, energy
audits, school and community plantings, all at no cost to the school.
If you would like more information on the Plant Smart program please contact
Laura Sutton, Plant Smart Coordinator, Western Region.
Phone: 0448 753 971
Green and Healthy Schools 2009
Kim Croker, Keep Australia Beautiful Queensland
To celebrate 2009, the Year of Creativity in Queensland’s
schools during Q150, Green and Healthy Schools will be encouraged to bury a
time capsule, in the state’s sesquicentenary.
The Q150 Time Capsule, Reflect the past, imagine the future, contents should
incorporate a depiction of the future and aspects of their community over the
last 150 years, in regards to; climate, environment, people, economy,
community governance/leadership, news, aspirations and values of their
community. Ideally the Q150 Time Capsule would be buried on or near
Queensland Day (6 June 2009), or an alternatively significant date.
Schools will be judged on their creativity, using innovative ideas/concepts to
produce an effective solution to preserving a lasting account of their
community and recording of their project (to be presented at the Green &
Healthy School Regional Awards). The winner will receive a $7,000
Computerised Weather Station for their school.
To register as a Green & Healthy School visit
www.keepaustraliabeautiful.org.au/qld/01_cms/details.asp?ID=7
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January 2009
Funding Opportunities, Events and Competitions
The beginning of a year always opens up a whole new round of funding
opportunities. There are a number of other grants that are available to schools
and community groups not listed below. If you would like a copy of the
complete listing of grants please contact us.
2009 is the International
Year of Natural Fibres.
OzProjects has created a
project site in recognition
of the international year.
The site includes links to
resources and activities to
increase student
understanding of the
importance of natural
fibres.
www.ozprojects.edu.au/
course/view.php?id=57
The University of New
South Wales School of
Photovoltaics &
Renewable Energy
Engineering (SPREE) has
assembled a Photovoltaic
Solar Energy Course
Pack designed for anyone
wanting to study or teach
Photovoltaics at a highschool level.
This package includes a
module syllabus, a
teacher’s resource
document, an engineering
report assignment, a
sample engineering report,
experiment guides,
worksheets, worksheet
solutions, and at the core,
a self-study PowerPoint
software unit for students
to work through on their
own.
All can be downloaded
free-of-charge from the
SPREE website.
www.pv.unsw.edu.au/
estudies/
Landcare Australia - Junior Landcare Grants Program
The grants fund activities to help young people participate in Landcare
projects, at their school or within their local community and environment.
There are a number of grants on offer within the program:
Coles Junior Landcare School Garden Grant – projects up to $1,000.
Australia Post Junior Landcare Biodiversity Grant – projects up to $550.
VISY Junior Landcare Recycling Grant - projects up to $1,100.
Emphasis is placed on projects which:
• involve the school community or broader local community;
• have determined educational outcomes with an environmental focus;
• link with a community landcare group; and
• are student-oriented and allow maximum student involvement.
For more information on closing dates for 2009 rounds visit
www.landcareonline.com/funding_opportunity_details.asp?fo_id=6
Australia Post Community Development Grant
Community groups across Australia can apply for yearly grants of up to $3,300
(including GST) to help improve their local community and environment. The
grants can fulfill a community groups’ “wish list” and directly fund a community
project, help buy much needed tools and equipment, or help raise awareness
and encourage more community members to get involved. Groups that are not
incorporated will need to form a partnership with an organisation that can
accept responsibility for administering the financial aspects of the grant,
including insurance. Visit www.landcareonline.com/
funding_opportunity_details.asp?fo_id=9 for application forms and details.
Myer Family Philanthropy
There are two categories of interest, G4 Small Grants and Small Grants Education. The G4 Small Grant is open to small community-based
organisations and provides up to $5000 for projects focusing on youth and the
environment. There are four rounds for 2009 with the second closing on 14
April 2009.
The Small Grants—Education grant offers up to $10,000 for projects that
address priorities in the area of education including local community and
school based projects to achieve education outcomes for 0-25 year olds and
projects in rural and regional communities. There is no closing date for the
Education grant, applications are accepted on an on-going basis. For more
information on both grants go to www.myerfoundation.org.au
Clean Up Schools Day—27 February 2009
Schools' Clean Up Day is specifically designed to allow students to participate
in Clean Up Australia as part of a school activity. It's a great way for students
of all ages to learn about how to reduce the impact of waste on our
environment and make a real difference in their local community. Schools that
register a School Clean Up Day event will have access to resources and
information to help with classroom activities. Visit
www.cleanup.com.au/au/Campaigns/overview-scud.html to register your
event.
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January 2009
We want to hear from
you!
Have your students
produced some artwork
relating to a school
sustainability project or
have they composed a
interesting short story or
poem they would like to
share? The Landcare
Link Newsletter would
love to feature
inspirational pieces from
students across the
region. We are also
interested to receive
information from
teachers on the projects
and learning activities
being undertaken.
Students that contribute
work will receive an
encouragement prize for
their efforts.
Toowoomba Environmental Educators
Network (TEEN)
The first meeting of the
TEEN group will be held
in the week of 23
February. The network
meets in Toowoomba
from 3.30pm - 5pm to
share ideas, resources
and information in the
area of sustainability
education. All are
welcome to attend.
Contact Renee for more
information. We are
looking at facilitating
other networks across
the region. If you are
interested in starting a
group please give us a
call on 4637 6224.
Green Teacher Award
Clean Up Australia also holds the Green Teacher Award to celebrate and
recognise teachers who have been a positive influence on students by
carrying out environmental projects within their school community. Visit the
website to view the criteria and online nomination form. http://cleanup.org.au/
au/Campaigns/green-teacher-award.html
2009 DPI&F Hermitage Research Station Schools' Plant Science
Competition
The Plant Science Competition relates well to the Primary connections Plants
in action book. The competition starts at the beginning of Term 1 2009 and
closes on 22 May 2009.The 2009 topic is "There's a grain in my food!" and
focuses on a range of projects looking at the identification of different grains
used to feed humans and animals. The winner receives: a medallion,
certificate and $1,000 to go towards books or reference materials for the
student's first year of tertiary study. The runner up receives: a medallion,
certificate and a 12 month subscription to a science journal of their choice to
the value of $500. To register or for more information contact Kerrie Rubie on
07 4660 3666, email kerrie.rubie@dpi.qld.gov.au or visit
.www.dpi.qld.gov.au/cps/rde/dpi/hs.xsl/4791_4235_ENA_HTML.htm
Waterwise Recognition Program
Queensland primary schools are invited to participate in a Waterwise
Recognition Program, which aims to encourage Waterwise attitudes and
behaviours through the implementation of the Water: Learn it for life! program.
Schools that achieve the status of Waterwise School or Lighthouse Waterwise
School of Excellence will be eligible to be considered for awards of $500 and
$5,000 respectively. For more information and to register visit
www.nrw.qld.gov.au/waterwise/education.
Water: Learn it for Life! is an excellent online resource providing a well
structured approach to water education for early and middle years students.
The program was designed by teachers and complements the Queensland
Essential Learnings.
Events Calendar
February
2 - World Wetlands Day www.ramsar.org/wwd/8/
wwd2008_index.htm
27 - Clean Up Schools Day www.cleanup.com.au/au/
Campaigns/overview-scud.html
March
1 - Clean Up Australia Day www.cleanup.com.au
2-8 - Sea Week www.mesa.edu.au/seaweek.asp
7 - Science is Primary Conference, Graceville State School
www.staq.qld.edu.au/
8-14 - National Groundwater Awareness Week
www.ngwa.org/public/awarenessweek/index.aspx
11 - Environmental Education Conference, Everton Park
State High School www.nudgeebheec.eq.edu.au
22 - World Water Day www.worldwaterday.org/
April
22 - World Earth Day www.earthday.net/
Funded by:
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